


Masquerade

by thismaz



Category: Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Genre: Gen, implied major character death
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-05-15
Updated: 2011-05-15
Packaged: 2017-10-19 10:29:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,266
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/199852
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thismaz/pseuds/thismaz
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Angelus comes home and he has plans. What if he'd really been as clever as he should have been?<br/>Otherwise known as playing with the conversation between Spike and Angelus, when Angelus first comes back to his family in season 2.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Masquerade

The delight was real, but underneath was a sliver of dread, sullying Spike's image of the happily reunited family. There was something about the way Dru's attention kept straying towards her sire - it worried Spike. Stuck in this damned wheelchair it wasn't like he had much to offer her - all parts may be present, but they weren't exactly fully functional. He took a deep breath, pushing his doubts away and sat back to enjoy Angelus' account of how he came to be back with them. He was right - Spike didn't believe it the first time. But when Angelus went into the details of his night of passion, describing the Slayer's loving surrender and the soul's capitulation to bliss, his cynical eyes held a gleam of wonder which was somehow more convincing than mere words.

Dru was absolutely delighted by the stupidity of gypsy magic, for not catching that loophole - it was all very well to curse someone to suffer, but the idea that the spell would be nullified if the victim overcame its purpose was just clumsy, in her opinion. She danced her delight across the room, landing in Spike's lap and his worries dissipated in the face of her obvious devotion.

Angelus was still lounging back against the table basking in the afterglow of his returned freedom, Dru's arms were around Spike's neck and all was right with the world. Joseph and Amanda returned with carry-out over their shoulders and Spike's spirits rose further as he played the polite host and offered Angelus his pick. That earned him a flash of a smile and he began to feel better, washed by the warmth of Angelus' gaze. It wouldn't be easy - him being fully grown into his independence over the last one hundred years, but there was something comfortable about allowing the old patterns to re-establish, too. Disabled as he was, it was difficult to keep the minions in line and Angelus always did enjoy playing the paterfamilias. Spike wouldn't mind shedding the load of leadership for a while.

"We'd be gone by now, if it weren't for this bloody chair," Spike explained. "We only came for Dru's cure - thank you for that by the way," he added, sarcastically.

Angelus frowned for a moment. "If it had been up to me, you would've just had to ask," he said. "I'd apologise, but really, I wasn't myself."

Spike felt Dru shrug and he followed her lead. "Not a problem, mate. We know it wasn't you. It's so good to have you back now, though. In fact, it's bloody fantastic!"

Dru got up and skittered away down the room, twirling her happiness. Spike watched indulgently and shared another smile with Angelus. He would not remember how, on the first night of his turning, Angelus had shown him that Dru would always be Angelus', never Spike's. He'd had a hundred years since then - more time than Angelus ever had with her. What did it matter that the first 20 years were supposed to be the formative ones, when habits and attitudes solidified in the undead brain. It didn't matter that Angelus had had the breaking of her, he, Spike, had had the mending. She loved him, not Angelus. And, if he wasn't mistaken, Angelus had someone else to play with now.

"So, Sire," he asked, rubbing his hands together and sitting back in his chair. "What about this Slayer problem, then? Does she know you're back yet?"

Angelus' smirk reappeared, giving his handsome face more character than it held in repose. "No, and I don't intend to inform her," he said.

That was unexpected and Spike allowed his puzzlement to show. "So, what, you're going to continue playing the house broken puppy?" He asked, incredulous of the proposal. "'Cause I've got to tell you, it made me sick to my stomach seeing you being the Slayer's lap dog. I mean... I know you haven't been in the game for a while, but we still do kill people. Sort of our raison d'etre, you know." He was pleading, but he didn't care. This wasn't what he'd expected from his former mentor.

Angelus shook his head in mock disappointment. "Spike, my boy, you really don't get it. Do you?" He laughed. "Be patient. She doesn't know I'm back. She thinks I'm her precious Angel." He sighed, a deep, smug, nostalgic sigh. "Just like Kathy, she'll let me in and then..." He trailed off and his smirk became a full-on smile. "I guarantee you by the end of the night she won't be anything resembling a threat."

Spike blinked, momentarily blinded by memories of other times, other cities, other hunts, when that smile had flashed out signalling Angelus' glee. "Isn't that a bit... Unsporting?" He asked.

"Unsporting?" It was Angelus' turn to sound incredulous. "There's no such thing. And if there were, it wouldn't apply to us." His use of the word 'us' sent a thrill through Spike, although he found his temper tested by Angelus' next words. "You've tried to kill her, but you couldn't. Look at you. You're a wreck! She's stronger than any Slayer you've ever faced. Force won't get it done. You gotta work from the inside. To kill this girl..." His voice softened, taking on an almost indulgent note. "To kill this girl, you have to love her." He stepped up to Spike's chair, grabbed him by the shirt and bent down to drop a kiss on his forehead, before stepping back and jumping up to sit on the table, totally relaxed, totally in charge.

Spike burst into laughter, shaking his head. "You do what you like. But, I'm just checking, you are going to kill her, aren't you?"

Angelus' expression darkened. "Oh, yes! She made me feel like a human being. That's not the kind of thing you just forgive and forget." He paused, smiling again, as if savouring his next words in advance. "I'm going to go and talk to her," he said.

Spike looked up at him, eyebrows raised. "You're going to talk her to death?"

"I'm going to talk her into death."

*****

From the shelter of a thick clump of bushes Spike and Dru watched Angelus walk across the park towards the Slayer. With every step his gait changed, became more hesitant, and his shoulders sagged as he hunched in upon himself. Spike knew that if he were able to see Angelus' face, his eyes would be heavy lidded and sorrowful and his mouth turned down at the edges. He watched as Buffy turned, some internal sense recognising the approach of a vampire and her body tensed, before relaxing as she recognised the figure approaching her. Angelus walked up to her and paused, hesitantly, a few feet away. She gazed up at him, her relief at seeing him shining in her eyes as clearly as her love. She closed the gap between them, her body language asking a question, even if he couldn't hear her words. Angelus shrugged, looking even more hang-dog. When she paused, he nodded and lifted his right hand, stroking the back of his forefinger down her cheek in a tender caress. Whatever he said in reply appeared to satisfy her and she lifted her face in invitation. Spike watched as Angelus bent down to gently kiss her up-turned lips. Her arms went around his shoulders, hugging him tightly to her and he buried his face in her neck.

Soon they would have a new sister and Spike would no longer be the youngest. But most importantly, Angelus would have his new obsession close, which meant he'd leave Dru alone.

**Author's Note:**

> Originally posted in October 2006 for tamingthemuse prompt 13 - Bait and Switch
> 
> Comments are greatly appreciated, loved and cherished, here or [at my Livejournal](http://thismaz.livejournal.com/8298.html)
> 
> Some dialogue borrowed and adapted from BtVS Episode 2:14. Innocence, Part 2


End file.
